THE recent arrest of a 34-year-old Nigerian man for his alleged role in a romance scam has triggered online backlash against Nigerians in the European country.
The arrest, one of many in recent years by Ireland’s Garda National Economic Crime Bureau (GNECB), involved the Nigerian said to have lived in Ireland since 2004.
The crime victim, a German, lost more than €200,000 to the group of scammers.
The suspect was arrested at his Co Waterford home Monday and is being detained at Dungarvan Garda Station where he is being questioned. Sources say more than €40,000 from the scam went through his bank account and has now been spent by him.
On a crime-watch website discussing the arrest, the Irish blogger is outraged that many Nigerians in his country have been so arrested in recent times.
“Nigerians, as an African woman informed me, destroyed South Africa, with heroin, now they are in Ireland, making millions on illegal drugs fraud and scams,” said Fred Basset, a blogger and “political searcher of the truth” who “exposes corruption and cronyism and helps whistleblowers.”
Continuing, he said: “This Nigerian, has multiple fake names. F**k the race card blarney. Charge him, if guilty, jail him but then deportation??? We all know there are decent Nigerians, but sadly we have a problem in Ireland with the bad ones and certain Nigerians are hated across the world??”
On another Nigerian arrest, Basset wrote: “How are these Nigerian fraudsters, getting into Ireland so easy, we are a soft touch???”
Basset’s comments mirror a growing sentiment in Ireland, where a Nigerian was shot and killed by the police this year, sparking anti-racism outrage.
On Irish social media, similar comments have been observed by Nigeria Abroad regarding Nigerians linked to crime in the country.
The current suspect was arrested under “Operation SKEIN,” an Irish investigation into international BEC/Invoice redirect fraud being committed from Ireland, and the laundering of the proceeds through accounts there.
It is estimated that the criminal organisation in this arrest has stolen over €18m worldwide in invoice redirect frauds/BEC frauds, with the vast majority laundered through bank accounts in Ireland.
